MGT414: SANS Training Program for CISSP® Certification

This class focuses like a laser on the key concepts you will need to understand the CISSP® exam. Do not struggle with thousand page textbooks. Let this course be your guide!

Carl Williams, Harris Corporation

Great use of examples, good illustrative stories, strong voice, address student questions.

Paul Claxton, Amercian Forces Network

Need training for the CISSP® exam?

SANS MGT414: SANS Training Program for CISSP® Certification is an accelerated review course that is specifically designed to prepare students to successfully pass the CISSP® exam.

MGT414 focuses solely on the 8 domains of knowledge as determined by (ISC)2 that form a critical part of CISSP® exam. Each domain of knowledge is dissected into its critical components, and those components are then discussed in terms of their relationship with one another and with other areas of information security.

The CISSP® exam itself is not hosted by SANS. You will need to make separate arrangements to take the CISSP® exam. Please note as well that the GISP exam offered by GIAC is NOT the same as the CISSP® exam offered by (ISC)2.

Course Syllabus

MGT414.1: Introduction; Security and Risk Management

The CISSP® exam itself is not hosted by SANS. You will need to make separate arrangements to take the CISSP® exam.

Overview

On the first day of training for the CISSP® exam, MGT414 introduces the specific requirements needed to obtain certification. The 2015 exam update will be discussed in detail. We will cover the general security principles needed to understand the 8 domains of knowledge, with specific examples for each domain. The first of the 8 domains, Security and Risk Management, is discussed using real-world scenarios to illustrate the critical points.

CPE/CMU Credits: 7

Topics

Overview of CISSP® Certification

Introductory Material

Overview of the exam

Focus of 2015 exam updates

What is required to become a CISSP®?

Maintaining a CISSP®

Exam overview

Test-taking tips and tricks

Overview of the 8 Domains

Domain 1: Security and Risk Management

Domain 2: Asset Security

Domain 3: Security Engineering

Domain 4: Communication and Network Security

Domain 5: Identity and Access Management

Domain 6: Security Assessment and Testing

Domain 7: Security Operations

Domain 8: Software Development Security

Domain 1: Security and Risk Management

Confidentiality, integrity and availability

Security governance principles

Compliance

Legal and regulatory Issues

Ethics

Business continuity requirements

Policies, standards, procedures, and guidelines

Risk management concepts

Threat modeling

Education, training, and awareness

MGT414.2: Asset Security and Security Engineering (Part 1)

The CISSP® exam itself is not hosted by SANS. You will need to make separate arrangements to take the CISSP® exam.

Overview

Understanding asset security is critical to building a solid information security program. The Asset Security domain, the initial focus of today's course section, describes data classification programs, including those used by both governments/militaries and the private sector. We will also discuss ownership, covering owners ranging from business/mission owners to data and system owners. We will examine data retention and destruction in detail, including secure methods for purging data from electronic media. We then turn to the first part of the Security Engineering domain, including new topics for the 2015 exam such as the Internet of Things, Trusted Platform Modules, Cloud Security, and much more.

The CISSP® exam itself is not hosted by SANS. You will need to make separate arrangements to take the CISSP® exam.

Overview

This section continues the discussion of the Security Engineering domain, including a deep dive into cryptography. The focus is on real-world implementation of core cryptographic concepts, including the three types of cryptography: symmetric, asymmetric, and hashing. Salts are discussed, as well as rainbow tables. We will round out Domain 3 with a look at physical security before turning to Domain 4, Communication and Network Security. The discussion will cover a range of protocols and technologies, from the Open Systems interconnection (OSI) model to storage area networks.

CPE/CMU Credits: 8

Topics

Domain 3: Security Engineering (Part 2)

Cryptography

Symmetric

Asymmetric

Hash

PKI

Digital signatures

Non-repudiation

Salts

Rainbow tables

Cryptanalysis

Facility design considerations

Physical security

Safety

Data center security

Handling evidence

HVAC

Fire prevention and suppression

Domain 4: Communication and Network Security

Network architecture

OSI model

TCP/IP

Mutilayer protocols

Storage protocols

NAS

FCoE

iSCSI

Voiceover IP

Software-defined networks

Wireless

802.11

WPA and WPA2

Network devices

Switches

Routers

Firewalls

Proxies

Content distribution networks

Remote meeting technology

Telecommuting

Remote access and VPN

SSH

VPN

IPsec

SSL/TLS

Port isolation

VLANs

MGT414.4: Identity and Access Management

The CISSP® exam itself is not hosted by SANS. You will need to make separate arrangements to take the CISSP® exam.

Overview

Controlling access to data and systems is one of the primary objectives of information security. Domain 5, Identity and Access Management, strikes at the heart of access control by focusing on identification, authentication, and authorization of accounts. Password-based authentication represents a continued weakness, so Domain 5 stresses multi-factor authentication, biometrics, and secure credential management. The 2015 CISSP® exam underscores the increased role of external users and service providers, and mastery of Domain 5 requires an understanding of federated identity, SSO, SAML, and third-party identity and authorization services like Oauth and OpenID.

CPE/CMU Credits: 8

Topics

Domain 5: Identity and Access Management

Physical and logical access

SSO

LDAP

Multi-factor authentication

Biometrics

Accountability

Session management

SAML

Credential management

Third-party identity services

Authorization mechanisms

MAC

DAC

Rule-based

RBAC

Provisioning

MGT414.5: Security Assessment and Testing; Security Operations

The CISSP® exam itself is not hosted by SANS. You will need to make separate arrangements to take the CISSP® exam.

Overview

This course section covers Domain 6 (Security Assessment) and Domain 7 (Security Operations). Security Assessment covers types of security tests, testing strategies, and security processes. Security Operations covers investigatory issues, including eDiscovery, logging and monitoring, and provisioning. We will discuss cutting-edge technologies such as cloud, and we'll wrap up day five with a deep dive into disaster recovery.

CPE/CMU Credits: 8

Topics

Domain 6: Security Assessment

Assessment and test strategies

Security control testing

Vulnerability assessment

Penetration testing

Log reviews

Synthetic transactions

Security testing strategies

Security process

Account management

Management review

Training and awareness

Disaster recovery and business continuity

Internal and third-party audits

Domain 7: Security Operations

Investigations

Evidence collection and handling

Reporting and documenting

Forensics

Operational, criminal, civil, and regulatory investigations

eDiscovery

Logging and monitoring

Intrusion detection and prevention

SIEM

Continuous monitoring

Egress monitoring

Provisioning

Asset inventory

Configuration management

Physical, virtual, and cloud assets

SaaS

Security operations

Need-to-know and least privilege

Service-level agreements

Incident management

Firewalls

IDS and IPS

Honeypots and honeynets

Vulnerability management

Change management processes

Recovery strategies

Disaster recovery processes

Disaster recovery plans

MGT414.6: Software Development Security

The CISSP® exam itself is not hosted by SANS. You will need to make separate arrangements to take the CISSP® exam.

Overview

Domain 8 (Software Development Security) describes the requirements for secure software. Security should be "baked in" as part of network design from day one, since it is always less effective when it is added later to a poor design. We will discuss classic development models, including waterfall and spiral methodologies. We will then turn to more modern models, including agile software development methodologies. New content for the 2015 CISSP® exam update will be discussed, including DevOps. We will wrap up 414.6 by discussing security vulnerabilities, secure coding strategies, and testing methodologies.

"This is a must for anyone who is considering taking the CISSP® exam" - Leigh Lopez, CSUN

"This class focuses like a laser on the key concepts you will need to understand the CISSP® exam. Do not struggle with thousand page textbooks. Let this course be your guide!" - Carl Williams, Harris Corporation

"I have taken several CISSP® prep courses in the last several years and this by far is the best. Finally I feel that I have the confidence to take the test. Thanks." - Jerry Carse, Sarum, LLC

Author Statement

The CISSP® certification has been around for almost 20 years and covers security from a 30,000 foot view. CISSP® covers a lot of theoretical information that is critical for a security professional to understand. However, this material can be dry, and since most students do not see the direct applicability to their jobs, they find it boring. The goal of this course is to bring the 8 domains of knowledge of the CISSP® to life. The practical workings of this information can be discovered by explaining important topics with stories, examples, and case studies. I challenge you to attend the SANS CISSP® training course and find the exciting aspect of the 8 domains of knowledge!

- Eric Cole

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